Why no action in PF scam, ask former Jet employees

Many PF accounts of former Jet pilots were allegedly fraudulently settled in connivance with officials from the Kandivli EPFO. File pic

Dozens of former international workers of Jet Airways have written to the CBI, Union Labour Ministry and other government departments demanding an FIR against the airline executives and the erring staffers of the Employee Provident Fund Office (EPFO) for allegedly siphoning their PF money. They said nothing has been done yet.

The ex-employees, mostly pilots, learnt about the alleged fraud after coming across a series of reports by mid-day in August. They had got in touch with this correspondent to share their stories of struggle claiming that they were kept in the dark about PF for years. Sources said PF accounts of Jet pilots with accumulations running into lakhs of rupees were fraudulently settled and the money was taken away.

"After we came to know about the PF, we have been fighting to retrieve the money. A few among us have passed away but those who are alive are struggling to make ends meet," said an international pilot who worked with Jet Airways for decades.

Also read: Multi-crore PF scam hits Jet Airways

Another international worker said, "It is the Vigilance Awareness Week for EPFO, which is celebrating its 70th foundation day on Tuesday with a moto ‘Corruption free India for a developed Nation'. But, ironically, the officials are not taking any action on our series of complaints." All the international workers were forced to go back to their countries after Jet Airways ceased operations in April 2019.

"I cannot come to India and lodge my FIR as I don't have the money to travel. Though I have sent multiple emails to the senior officials at EPFO, CBI, ED, Labour Ministry and others, no action has been taken so far," said an international worker. The former aviation worker said Jet didn't deposit their PF money with the EPFO. "All this has put me and my family in financial loss."

Demanding the registration of an FIR, he said, "Hoping for strict action against the company [Jet] and erring government officials for putting us in financial loss." He said many complaints by him and his former colleagues haven't elicited any response. "Our hard-earned money must be recovered and deposited in our accounts."

‘Still, no legal action'

Sources in the EPFO said the department is showing no concern to take any legal action against regional provident fund commissioner, RO, Kandivli, Sudhir Ganvir. "There is massive irregularities in the compliance section of the department and Ganvir should have been removed from the post and transferred… but he is a blue-eyed boy of many officials in Delhi and Mumbai. It is the reason he has been handling Jet Airways files since decades and he has not been transferred out of Mumbai," said the source.

"After a series of mid-day stories related to the scam, EPFO officials have not even formed a committee to check the irregularities in the compliance department. Why no enquiry has been conducted so far? Above all, despite Ganvir's role is in question, he has been given additional charge at Kandivli office. So one can imagine his clout in EPFO," said the source.

"If there is no PF scam related to Jet Airways employees, why the senior officials at EPFO do not come forward and declare that there is no scam as such published in media?" the source said. Another source said, "There is no transparency in compliance department at EPFO, Kandivli. Though one clerk, Macchindra Bamne, has been suspended, he is yet to be transferred as per the standing rule."

‘Evidence concealed'

A highly placed source at the Central Vigilance Commission, Delhi, said that all the crucial pieces of evidence were concealed by the corrupt officials EPFO Kandivli. "But after the Central Bureau of Investigation intervened post your [mid-day] expose, and asked for the documents, EPFO shared all the files with the nodal probe agency. I am not sure why there is the delay in CBI investigation," said the source.

"Ideally Ganvir should have been transferred out of Mumbai for a fair probe into the matter, but nothing has been done so far," Harbhajan Singh Sidhu, said a member of Central Board of Trustees.

"If a person in question is still holding the position, chances are high that the crucial pieces of evidence will be destroyed before any legal action is taken in connection with the alleged multi-crore PF scam which mid-day exposed…," said another trustee member. Ganvir and CPFC, Delhi, remained unavailable for comment.